Northeast VBS Success!

The week of June 12, forty-eight children gathered at Northeast for Maker Fun Factory, this year’s Vacation Bible School theme. During the week, the children sang, met Bible Buddies, used their imaginations, played games, learned from other kids their age and heard stories from God’s blueprint for us, the Bible. The week was full of so many inventions and discoveries we can’t possibly list them all here!

Each day we learned a Bible Point. These were God made you, God is for you, God is always with you, God always loves you and God made you for a reason. These points were followed by a “Wow God!” We also collected school supplies for a local school and ended our week together on Sunday by leading the Northeast congregation in singing “Our God.”

We are thankful for more than 20 adults and youth who volunteered during the week and behind the scenes the weeks leading up to VBS. It couldn’t have been a success without them!

Jeff Krajewski Named Interim Lead Pastor for Northeast Congregation

Earlier this month, the leadership team for our Northeast congregation announced that Jeff Krajewski, founding pastor of Common Ground, will become the interim lead pastor for northeast upon Ty Denney’s transition at the end of June.

Jeff K. has been the lead pastor for Common Ground for 20 years. In 1997, Traders Point Christian Church (TPCC) began a young adults ministry with Jeff as the pastor. By 2001, Jeff and the elders of TPCC recognized that the Common Ground ministry had become a church within a church and so TPCC blessed Jeff and the church through prayer and financial resources to start at a new church in Broad Ripple. Since that time Common Ground has planted churches across the U.S. and has grown into a family of three local congregations in Indianapolis.

Jeff and his wife Nicole are excited for this next phase in their journey of ministry. Our Northeast congregation is currently in the sermon series Faith and Race: Demonstrating the Heart of God, and Jeff will be guest preaching at Northeast three times during the series. “I share the vision that our northeast congregation has for becoming a multiethnic congregation. This vision will allow them to better serve their multiethnic community and more accurately represent the Gospel of Jesus. I am also eager to see how their journey will have influence and give vision for our family of churches here in the city.” said Jeff.

Good Friday and Easter

You’re invited to join us on Friday, April 14 for a Good Friday service. Midtown and West will meet at 6:30 pm at 4550 N. Illinois Street. Limited childcare is available for newborn-3 years on a first come, first served basis. Northeast will meet at 6:30 pm at 7440 Hague Road. Limited childcare is available for newborn-4 years by registration only.

Easter worship gatherings will be held at 9 am and 11 am at Midtown, 10 am at Northeast, and 10 am at West on Sunday, April 16. We look forward to celebrating with you on Easter!

Staff Update: Ty Denney

On Sunday, March 5, our Northeast Pastor Ty Denney announced his resignation as the Area Church Pastor. Ty helped to plant our NE congregation in the spring of 2013. He has faithfully loved and pastored the church for the last 4 years and now God is calling him to something new.

Over the past few months, Ty and his family sensed the Lord moving them toward a new assignment within God's kingdom. After prayer and discernment with Common Ground leadership, Ty has accepted the position of executive pastor of Path Ministries and Otino Waa Children’s Village. The mission of Path Ministries is to raise up orphans in Jesus’ name and plant vibrant churches out of their service to the poor.

Ty will continue to pastor at Northeast for the next several months before moving to Bend, Oregon to serve in his new role. We ask that you join us in praying for Ty and his family as they prepare to be sent out and lean into God's calling.

Common Ground is working to transition an interim pastor to lead our vibrant Northeast congregation. If you have any questions about this transition, please contact Executive Pastor Tim Dooley.

VBS Needs you!

Northeast is hosting VBS June 12- June 16 at 7440 Hague Road! Youth and adult volunteers are invited to join us as we share the love of Jesus with children from our church and the surrounding neighborhoods. Our program runs 9 am–noon and we can use your time and talents in a variety of ways! Can’t serve during this time? No problem! You are also welcome to contribute snacks and other items for the week.

To help during the event or behind the scenes, simply complete this form to check out your options and let us know how you would like to help.

Want to know how you can register your kids for VBS? Registration forms for kids will be available in April.

Thank you in advance for your help and prayers for Northeast VBS. Have questions? Please contact Jody.

Empowered to Connect Conference!

All Common Ground attenders are invited to the Empowered to Connect Conference on April 7-8, from 10 am–6 pm at Midtown. Empowered to Connect is a two-day conference designed to help adoptive and foster parents, ministry leaders and professionals better understand how to connect with “children from hard places” in order to help them heal and become all that God desires for them to be.

The Empowered to Connect simulcast is brought to you by Show Hope and The Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at TCU, and sponsored by the Midtown Vision Team. Cost to attend is $15 per person and includes printed materials. Childcare is not available, and lunch is on your own for the extended lunch break.

Space is limited to the first 50 registrants, with priority given to Common Ground attenders. The deadline to register is April 3. To register, click here.

Justice & Reconciliation Forum

Please join us on February 4 from 9 am to 12:30 pm for a showing of the documentary 13th. This documentary, from the director of the movie Selma, focuses on the influence and impact of race in the criminal justice system in America. The movie asserts a direct connection and correlation between the passing of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, Jim Crow laws in the American South and the phenomenon of present-day mass incarceration. The movie will be followed by a time of large and small group discussion.

This event is free and childcare is available if you register by Thursday, January 26. General registration closes Monday, January 30. Please click here to register.